


Glowing Golden, Shining Silver

by vanishing_time



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF, Queen (Band)
Genre: Costume Parties & Masquerades, Dancing, Deazzello, First Meetings, Flirting, Freddie Mercury Lives, M/M, Masks, Theme Party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:14:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22684552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vanishing_time/pseuds/vanishing_time
Summary: John hasn't been too fond of costume parties ever since he had to dress up as a silver unicorn, but at a masquerade held by Freddie he meets someone worth staying a bit longer for.
Relationships: John Deacon/Joe Mazzello
Comments: 16
Kudos: 46
Collections: Deazzello Week 2020





	Glowing Golden, Shining Silver

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BornToLose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BornToLose/gifts), [DiDaydreamer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiDaydreamer/gifts).



> Written for the "Dancing" prompt of the Deazzello Week.

John is not too fond of fancy masquerade balls like this.

Of course, it’s Freddie’s party, and he’s been over the top with preparation this time as well. He’s always been like that, and this habit of his hasn't lessened with age at all. In fact, it seems like the older Freddie gets, the more he enjoys throwing parties, the more megalomaniac ones the better, and he wasn't shy to rent out a whole Czech castle for this occasion.

John observes the giant ballroom where the guests are chatting and eating and getting drunk already, and he has the feeling he doesn’t even know ten percent of them.

The decoration is luxurious but tasteful, John has to admit. Metallic confetti and glitter sprinkles over the huge, long tables, on the verge of collapsing under the weight of the most delicious food. Glass vases filled with beads and feathers, twinkling in the lights of candles and candelabras, mysterious and sensual. Masks on the walls casting shadows, or used as centerpieces, tastefully arranged, surrounded by jugs of drinks and the most exotic fruits.

The castle of Krasna Lipa is all Freddie’s and his friends for tonight, and not for the first time in his life, John wonders how he’s gotten here. He's got all he wanted from life and even more, and even though he has to admit that for a short while the rockstar life has brought the worst out of him, he’s getting tired of that now. Deep inside he’s still that small town boy whose only dream is to have a home, a loving spouse and a few kids.

He sighs. He’s not going to brood over his failed marriage on this fine night. Time to set his eyes onto the future.

He might as well enjoy himself.

He scans the audience, finding Brian wearing a badger mask, his characteristic mane making it obvious who he is, even though he’s tried to tie it up; and Roger's just over there with Sarina on his arm, the two of them dressed in matching creamy and black and white outfits, wearing ferret masks. John smirks. The most mischievous couple.

He sighs, fixing his cuffs.

He grabs a champagne from the tray of a waiter, the tails of his fancy coat flapping behind him as he’s breaking through the crowd, all of them dressed accordingly to the dress code of the masquerade. The theme is “Fairytale Forest” this year, and John passes between forest animals walking on two legs - bears, otters, the braver ones not half-assing their costumes, wearing rainbow gowns with unicorn horns, or are barely dressed like nymphs, wearing only a few ribbons.

John looks at himself in a huge mirror, checking his outfit. An asymmetrically cut silver tuxedo with long tails, a silver bracelet, and an elegant, silver wolf mask, highlighting his jaw, going good with his white hair. He smiles at his reflection, smoothing down a renegade lock. He really needs to go to the hairdresser soon, but now the slight disheveledness goes strangely well with this outfit.

Not bad for a man way past middle age. 

He gulps down his drink and puts down the champagne glass, walking around and chatting with a few people he knows, taking a bite of crab roll from Phoebe’s hand, laughing with Crystal as they both get confetti thrown in their necks by some giggly faeries, spotting Freddie and Jim on the top of the staircase, both of them looking absolutely magnificent for two old guys, and John grins, because it’s obvious that Jim would rather be at home with the cats and the plants, but he can’t say to to his husband’s spectacular wishes.

John sighs. If only he wasn't single on a fine evening like this.

He looks at his watch to check the time. Half an hour till midnight, the dance begins soon. He suppresses a yawn, heading to the balcony to get some fresh air. He might leave before the dance - there are single ladies, as far as he knows, but… They are not really what he’s looking for, no.

He’ll know when he meets the right one.

He reaches for one more glass of champagne, saluting the waiter who bows at him. John takes a sip and freezes as if he walked into a brick wall, his eyes focusing on a shining star in front of a red drape on the wall. 

Golden tuxedo, slim fingers and a fox mask, framed by ginger hair and held up by a pointy nose, a perfect set of teeth showing in a toothy laughter.

John stares at the phenomenon - he doesn’t have a better word for it. The young man who’s grabbed his attention is surrounded by a circle of friends who are all laughing together with him, he’s explaining something, gesturing widely with his elegant, lively hands.

John is enchanted by that beauty, by the kind twinkling in those green eyes under the mask, and he suddenly needs to get closer, but how to get closer without appearing a creep, and what would such a young man want from him anyway, and what if one of the circle of friends is actually his partner?

John realizes he’s been staring for at least a few minutes now, he’s gotten one or two weird glances from the group around the fox-man, and he swallows to wet his suddenly dry throat. Calm down. He turns away, but still side-eyeing the man as he’s sneaking to a table to grab some fruit, careful not to lose sight of the fox.

He must have failed to properly pay attention, he must have gotten lost in thought because when he’s reaching for a banana, there’s a hand touching his, genty pressing it down, and the fox is standing next to him, smiling.

“Good evening, Wolf,” the fox says, his voice deep and pleasant with an American accent, his eyes clear behind the mask, and John blinks at him with his mouth full of half-chewn grapes. “Do you have a banana to spare?”

John almost spits out the grapes. He starts coughing, and the fox gently pats his back.

“Sorry, sorry, please don’t die one me because of a godawful flirting attempt,” the fox giggles, and John reaches under his mask to wipe his eyes.

“There are so many bananas here,” John says when he can properly breathe again, mentally rolling his eyes at how bad of an innuendo this is, “I’m honoured that you consider mine the best one for consumption.”

The fox makes an “oooh” face, clearly impressed by his flirting back. 

“Not bad, Wolf. Are you enjoying the party?” He picks up the banana John was just about to take, sensually peeling it and taking a bite before offering it to John.

John takes a bite too. 

So the fox is interested in him. 

Damn, he’s hit the jackpot.

“I’m enjoying it way more now that we shared the food.” He smiles as the fox takes another bite, grinning at John with his mouth full. “You’re lucky that I’m friendly. Did you know that wolves usually kill foxes in the wild?”

The fox’s eyes widen. “I didn’t know that. But I’m not afraid of getting eaten.”

John grins, liking the directness of this young man very, very much. 

“And what is your name, cunning young fox?”

The man grins - seems like his whole being is a huge smiling face -, holding out his hand. “You can call me Joe.”

John takes his hand, the skin warm and soft, the handshake is firm. “Pretty name.”

“And by what name shall I address this handsome silver wolf?”

“John.”

“John,” Joe repeats, the name sounding strangely comfortable in his mouth. “A pleasure to meet you.”

John can feel the fox’s eagerness, mirroring his own, and their hands are lingering, not wanting to let go. Eyes locking in an understanding gaze, they are both lost for a moment, John marveling at the sight of the fox’s heart-shaped smile and a pointy shark tooth of his.

Suddenly it becomes quiet, and there’s Freddie’s voice coming from a speaker, announcing the dance, and John looks back at Joe, his hand still in his.

“May I have this dance?”

The fox grins. “I’d be definitely upset if you didn’t ask me.”

Before John can react, Joe pulls him to the dance floor where a Waltz is starting, holding John strongly, putting his arm around his waist.

“So, are you leading?” John asks, and Joe grins, pulling him close with a firm movement.

“I’m happy to either lead or be lead,” he whispers, following the rhythm, and they are gyrating among the other couples, floating, flying. John lets the fox lead him, watching the candles illuminating the visible part of his face, painting it golden, the soft stubble shading the chin and the jaw, the twinkling of his cheeky eyes.

So pretty. John smiles back, switching their hands and wrapping an arm around Joe’s waist when a new song begins, taking the lead, not letting him go. He’s not going to dance with anyone else, ever.

Joe follows his lead very smoothly, like he was born for it.

“You are talented,” John whispers in Joe’s ear. “Are you coming from a dancer family?”

Joe smiles and nods, pecking a kiss on John’s face, and John is blushing under the wolf mask. “You’re not bad yourself.”

They bump into Badger Brian and his partner, an eagle lady, leaving them with a swoosh, and John feels the shape of Joe’s hips and waist under his palm, and the air is filled with the heat of the candles and the warmth of the bodies, they are surrounded by the other creatures of the forest, elves and nymphs, magicians and faeries; and there they dance, two wild animals, playing and chasing and pushing and pulling, blending into the whirlabout of the masquerade. 

There’s a slower song coming on, and John’s grateful for the chance to catch his breath. Both of them are hot and sweaty, and John kisses Joe’s hand.

“Thank you for the amazing dances.”

“My pleasure,” Joe says, kissing his hand in return. There’s silence between them, and the slow rocking of each other, and John sees Roger and Sarina dancing away next to them in a swirl, Roger grinning at them.

“We should…” the fox says, his golden gloves a nice contrast against John's silver fingers. “I’m curious. I would love to see your face.”

John slowly smiles, even though there's a sting in his stomach at the thought. He’s not exactly young anymore, way older than this boy here, and certainly not as handsome as he used to be...

“Don't you think removing the masks here is basically like… getting naked?” He jokes dismissively, and Joe laughs, throwing his head back, and John’s watching his Adam’s apple bouncing, and he can't help but biting his lips. 

“I think you’re right,” the fox says, spinning John around, much to the annoyance of the couple next to them who they’ve just bumped into. “I have a feeling that it is that kind of party where revealing your body is more acceptable than revealing your identity.”

“If you know Freddie, you know you’re not wrong,” John taunts, but he’s still touching Joe’s waist, he’s forgotten which one of them is leading by now, maybe neither of them and they are just swinging to the music. John sees Freddie and Jim from the corner of his eyes, dancing next to them, all of Freddie’s teeth showing in an appreciating grin at the sight of the two of them, and he pulls Jim closer to whisper in his ear.

So, Freddie approves. So it mustn't be that of a horrible sight after all, the two of them, or rather, him, next to this young man. 

“I’d love to…” John stops, swallowing, but this has been a perfect evening with a perfect partner, and the night is far from being over. “I’d love to know you better. Want to grab something and get some fresh air on the balcony?”

Joe smiles brightly, pulling John with himself once again without words, seems like their whole dynamics is about pulling and being pulled, and John finds himself in the cool night of the balcony, leaning against the handrail, the garden behind him illuminated by the full moon, and a very shiny fox-man pressed against his front.

There are so many things they should be talking about, but instead they are just observing each other’s faces as much as possible, mutual understanding in the air.

“I’d like to… I really want to see your face.” Joe’s unbearably close, stroking John's shoulder with a tentative hand. “Will you show it to me?”

John hesitates. The boy’s so young. And he’s so old. What exactly will he think?

John sighs, slowly reaching up to loosen the knot, holding his breath, closing his eyes as he takes off the mask, opening them hesitantly after a second.

Joe’s eyes are widening and his lips are parting, and there’s a slow smile of wonder spreading on his face. John looks at him expectantly, his heart beating in his throat, fearing that the magic is broken now, they are just two humans pretending to be animals and it’s too real-

Joe slowly reaches up to touch his face, caressing along John’s cheekbones.

“You’re so handsome. Beautiful,” he whispers, and John lets out a chuckle, putting his hand over Joe’s, kissing his palm. So, the magic is not broken yet. Maybe reality is magic itself.

“Will you…” He reaches up, running his fingertips over the edges of the fox mask. “Will you show me your face as well?”

Joe nods, stopping for a second before he grabs the mask and reveals himself, and John plunges headlong into his eyes, deep and big and clear, and he’s tempted to poke that pointy nose - he indeed looks like a fox, sweet and cunning, and John stares, and they both chuckle a bit, unable to get enough.

“How old are you anyway?” John can’t resist, the stupidest question he could ever ask coming out.

The moon paints Joe’s face pale, even more mischievous than it seemed under the mask.

“Old enough to know what I want.”

“Oh? And what is it that you want?” John asks, and Joe is suddenly very close to him, so close that John can inhale his breath.

“I want you to show me your territory, Wolf,” Joe winks. “And I can show you mine. We might go strolling in the woods together… if you want it, too.”

John gets bold at the open invitation, and lifts Joe’s chin, breathing on his lips curling upwards in a smile.

“I’m more than happy to take you on a ride, little fox.”

**Author's Note:**

> Check out [this amazing moodboard](https://deakys-chesthair.tumblr.com/post/622286322067996672/warriorteam1924-so-pretty-john-smiles-back) that warriorteam1924 made for this fic! Lovely!


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